Tree spears car in Snohomish, putting homeowners in a bind

Nicole Loistl-Minkel looks over a 1985 Mitsubishi pickup Thursday that was speared by part of a large cedar tree that sheared off Tuesday night at the home of her in-laws, Brian and Theresa Minkel, of Snohomish. Theresa Minkel said the large broken section could strike their house if it falls the rest of the way. She said a tree removal service estimate to remove the tree was $3,200, but it is not covered by their homeowners insurance because the tree landed on the truck. They also must find an affordable way to remove the tree before it falls on the house because, she says, the insurance will not cover that damage either, now that they have been warned.